As things around the U.S. and the world change economically, we’ve gotten more and more calls asking about advice to maximize the space of a room. This could be due to people downsizing to smaller places, crashing together, etc, but there are definitely unique challenges that arise when working with a smaller space.

So, because you wanted it, here are some tips to consider when designing your small spaces:

1. Don’t Follow Formulas - there is no special recipe to succeed at small space design. Forget what you thought you knew, just break rules, and challenge yourself.
2. Discover What Your Room Needs - get to the essentials. What do you really need?
3. Keep Floors Open - nothing sucks up an open environment more than a floor filled piece of furniture.
4. Light Colored Walls - yes, you’ve probably heard it before, but it’s the truth.
5. Get Some Mirrors - not overdone, just enough. One medium sized one or a collection of smaller. Don’t overdo it.
6. Expandable Dining Tables - we have plenty of modern dining tables that expand, check them out in our dining room section.
7. Clear Glass + Simple Frames - this includes clear furniture items, especially useful for coffee tables like the Pavillion Coffee Table and Noguchi Coffee Table with sleek frame, clear glass.
8. Design For You - not in the event of having guests, etc. Design for your everyday use.
9. First Settings Aren’t It - it will take you a couple of edits to find what works for you. And, that’s ok.
10. Think Vertical - work with your space in both directions

Remember, there are no hard rules for designing your small space. Have fun and enjoy your new space.

Recently, we ran across a great post in the LA Times Home & Garden section that listed some of the worst design trends that top experts wish would simply, DIE in 2009. These “experts” included interior designers, designers, retailers, and other design pros, so they kinda know what they’re talking about. Here’s a quick rundown, plus a little Paradigm Gallery analysis

1) No More Granite

No more granite?

Says accessories designer and retailer Kenneth Wingard:

“Please, in the kitchen, no more granite countertop. It came into vogue in the ’80s, and it makes a place look dated instantaneously. I am pushing for an orange Formica comeback. If you don’t think you can pull that off, then honed white marble is always beautiful, soapstone or poured concrete looks great in rustic homes, and Corian gives a simple look that does not dominate any room.”

Our Take: Yeah, we are equally appalled by the question “Is this granite?” on House Hunters.

2) Residential Kitchens that Look Commercial

We kinda like sterility

“A kitchen chock-full of stainless-steel appliances is cold and old. Viking and Blue Star have a number of custom finishes that give a warmer, fresher look that can integrate your appliances with your cabinetry or add a fun pop of color to your kitchen.”

– Kristine Paige Kamenstein, Jackson Paige Interiors

Our Take: I guess it’s up to you. We’re somewhat split here. Some enjoy a cold sterile appliance set with punchy cabinetry incorporating bright and vibrant red, orange, and blue cabinet covers.

3) Mass Produced, Oversized Club Chairs

You look so small in that chair...

“I am tired of furniture that is scaled for a giant. Even if you have high ceilings in your home, you can buy furniture that is human-scaled. I love Ralph Lauren’s Colorado club chair, and for a less expensive alternative, a vintage club chair is a good option.”

– Andrea Schroder, contestant from Bravo’s “Top Design”

Our Take: You are right Andrea. Seriously, there is comfort, but it’s like clothes. You don’t want to be swallowed with a baggy fit. We certainly prefer a Pavillion Chair or Le Corbusier Chair in petit, grande, or even extra grande sizes. Know what we mean?

4) Oversized Sleigh Beds

Did Brenda Walsh have one of these?

“If you have a team of Clydesdales, drive this old chestnut straight to the barn. Try something that brings pizazz back into the boudoir, like a headboard of soft gold-leaf leather with a nailhead design.”

– Craig Olsen, designer and retailer

Our Take: ABSOLUTELY! Too much in the bedroom almost chokes your sleep. Sleek, platform beds will be around a while. Take advantage now, like the Worth Bed, shown below:

Clean and mean

5) Cubed Ottomans and Faux Zebra Prints

Interesting...

“Little cubed ottomans are o-u-t,” designer and retailer Craig Olsen says. “Hexagons and ovals will lead the eye straight to the piece and make the room remarkable.” When it comes to faux zebra prints, designer and retailer Suzan Fellman sounds off: “Good God, how does a zebra print translate onto a cowhide rug? There are superior floor treatments, in a reasonable price range, that do not pretend to be something that they are not. I would opt for an Arzu Firuz vinyl carpet with laser cutouts that create a great pattern for the floor and are so easy to maintain.”

Our Take: Ok, ok, so we offer the “Pony Cube”, so we’re somewhat guilty to a degree, but we do have tons of non-cube ottoman and coffee tables to take advantage of.

So, what do you guys think? Any dreadful Design Trends that you just want to cast off for good?

Every year, just like GQ names a “Sexiest Man Alive”, and Motor Trend names its’ “Car of the Year, Pantone, a leading color authority named “Blue Iris” as its’ “Color of the Year” for 2008.

As 2008 comes to a close, we noticed that “Blue Iris” didn’t really take off as much as other colors, especially in interior design.

In fact, 2008 seems to have been the year of Green, from a color and environmental movement. Everywhere we turned, greens, ranging from lime to olive green popped up all over the place. Just walk into Crate and Barrel and you’ll see what we mean.

One of the recent “Color of the Year” winners, Cerulean, which won in 2000 made a guest appearance in “The Devil Wears Prada”, so Pantone’s picks definitely do shape fashion, design, and the mainstream.

Check out how Meryl Streep lets Anne Hathaway know about the importance of fashion in conjunction with Cerulean:

However, we Blue Iris did impact Paradigm Gallery in one major way: The Egg Chair. Our Egg Chair had always been a very popular modern classic piece. Typically, our top selling Egg Chair color is black or red. But, this year, Cobalt Blue came to the forefront as our most popular color Egg Chair color of 2008. Cobalt Blue is very similar to Iris Blue, so maybe the Pantone folks were onto something.

What colors stood out to you this year? Did Iris Blue play a part in your design?

One of the earliest of Charles and Ray Eames’ designs in molded plywood: the folding screen.

Flor’s Modular Carpet Square & Eames Plywood Chair